Trio Means Three
by TheUn-POP-ableBubble
Summary: A short dedication to the ever-infamous Stuart Trio from CP Coulter's Daltonverse. An inside look on why those three would ever remain such strong friends with each other.


**Author's Note: My second completed Daltonverse fic! And I am SO happy with this one! As much as I love Jogan (and will continue to love them even if/as the ship sinks) my favorite fics to read are the Stuart Trio Friendships! I just adore their perfect symmetry, their chemistry and they give me hope that my own relationships will be just as strong - come what may. So here's to the perfect friends: Derek, Logan, and Julian!**

**Credit for the characters and the verse belongs to miss CP Coulter - a great artist of our generation. *lessthan3***

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><p><strong>Trio Means Three<br>A Fanfiction written by TheUn-POP-ableBubble**

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><p>Before he knew Julian and Logan, Derek didn't really know what friends were for.<p>

To Derek, '_friend_' meant competitor – someone to test yourself against. Back in Junior High, Derek had been friends with a boy named Owen Willis. He and Owen were both pro athletes, both popular with girls, both aspiring to do great things. However, Owen struggled much more with academics than Derek did and, in compensation, Owen would challenge Derek to any number of things: Who could eat more corndogs in a single sitting? Who could score a date with this girl first? Who could earn better stats in the season? In this way, Owen could feel he'd bested Derek and Derek could catch a break from life's pressure. So he'd always accept Owen's competitions, even proposing a few himself. There was only one challenge where Derek hesitated…

Who could sprint across the street faster?

It had been stupid, and Derek had known that. It had been dangerous, and he'd known that too. But Owen was his friend, and friends didn't put friends in actual danger. Owen had never tried to _hurt _Derek before. And his challenges gave Derek such an adrenaline rush – a welcome remedy when school and home and sports became too much and, lately, they'd been _far_ too much.

So he accepted the challenge. And lost.

Owen had just kept running – never looking back. Derek was lucky he ever ran again.

So when Derek first met Logan Wright at Dalton, and he only shrugged when Derek aggressively took first bed pick, Derek didn't know what to make of him. And when Derek dared Julian Larson to pants Reed van Kamp on the first day of school and the guy'd only scoffed at him, Derek never thought they'd be his friends – never thought they'd offer the epinephrine high that balanced out his stress so beautifully.

Or so he didn't think until October of freshman year.

He'd been bragging to them about the time he'd been dating six girls at once, proud about keeping them all in the dark for four weeks before any of them found out. Then he'd asked for their records. Unimpressed, Logan had bluntly stated he was gay and Julian said he'd dated some Hollywood mini-star for three months once. But both of them had given him this look, the same one Owen used to shoot him, as if they were daring him to do better, be better. _What? _Which didn't make sense to him at first. He was already doing better than either of them had. _Wasn't he?_ And that was important because doing better meant you didn't end up in the hospital with seven fractured bones.

But an idea dawned on him one day in History class; that perhaps they were daring him to be better than – not them – _himself_. To use his own achievements to propel himself further, to take his very best and make it better. Not to worry about what others were accomplishing in comparison to him, but to focus on what he was accomplishing in comparison to his desires.

_That_ was their push, _that_ was their dare. And because they challenged him – and, indeed, continued to challenge his limits (in more ways than one) – they did become his friends.

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><p>Before he met Logan and Derek, Julian didn't know who he was.<p>

Julian, along with half the world, knew who Grant Townsend was. They all knew Julian-Armstrong-Travis'-boy, and they knew Julian-Larson-Dolce's-son. But until those he met in Dalton, Julian never knew that _Julian_existed. What he did know was mobs of fans, bright lights, intrusive cameras, endless action, overbearing paparazzi, private flights, no limits to the desires he could meet; in short, all that a purebred star was expected to know.

Except who he was off-camera.

During his earliest interviews, starting about age twelve or so, his parents had separately consulted him on what to say and – even more importantly – what not to. As instructed, Julian didn't mention any of his early childhood, or anything too personal. The public learned that Julian Larson-Armstrong enjoyed rock music, had been in the acting business since very young, and aspired to continue in his career.

Safe information; harmless trivia. And absolutely nothing that had to do with knowing _Julian._

When he sat next to Logan Wright at their freshman orientation, the boy's first question had been about how boring award speeches were. At the time, Julian had politely smiled his famous smile and casually disregarded the peculiar comment, as he'd truly never thought much of it before. At his next award show, Julian realized for the first time that the winners' speeches… really _did _bore him. That was new, unexpected. Julian had never realized there was anything he didn't like – not when he was meant to be smiling all the time.

A couple months later, when Derek Seigerson had gifted him with a leather wallet instead of the sunglasses that Julian had asked for, Julian, disappointed and confused, asked the boy why he'd ignored the gift request. Derek had given him an odd look and said, "Why would I bother? You have three pairs already. And you only ever wear your Ray-bans anyway." The next day he needed sunglasses, Julian froze when he noticed his hand habitually reaching for the exact pair Derek had described. That was new too, also unexpected. Julian had never realized there was anything he preferred – not when he had been advised to like everything in general.

Many similar incidents followed and, through the help of Logan and Derek, Julian began to discover more and more of himself. He liked the colour green; he hated oversea flights; he wanted to learn Portuguese; rain relaxed him; he preferred blondes; he wanted to have kids someday; he wished time would slow down.

He secretly loved cashews but hadn't eaten any since he learned of Logan's allergies.

He usually didn't try out the recipes his mom sent him but because Derek loved a certain coffee recipe he learned very quickly how to brew it.

It wasn't long after this that Julian made a secret vow, just to himself, something to hide away and keep safe and precious in his heart of hearts: he would do _anything_ to protect the ones who found him.

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><p>Before he discovered Derek and Julian, Logan didn't know anything besides loneliness and anger.<p>

From the scattered memories of his mother, Logan had learnt abandonment. From the heat of his father's fists, Logan had learnt fury. Both had been his earliest teachers but loneliness had always been his peer, keeping close and ensuring Logan never forgot those lessons he was taught.

So when Michelle came into his life, Logan didn't know how to respond to her kind of energy, since her actions never aligned with anything he knew of the world. Where he expected disdain, he found care; where he predicted jealousy, he discovered admiration; what he thought to be illusionary, turned out to be genuine. Michelle, he realized, became his first teacher of love and acceptance: real and tangible, of the unconditional variety. And even though he could never truly take her lessons completely seriously or to heart, he later appreciated all the effort she had expended on him.

Derek Seigerson and Julian Larson were his next two teachers.

In all honesty, Logan didn't remember what exact words he and his father had exchanged _that_ day; only that it had been the third particularly bad call he'd gotten that week. The first call had gone to voice mail and he'd barely restrained himself from tearing the room apart when he heard it, but it was past midnight and Derek had been sleeping then. The second one had come two days later. He'd been taking a jog around Dalton's campus and at least three flowerbeds were uprooted after the phone was slammed shut.

The worst came the very next day. It was after class hours and he'd been about to play a couple of requested songs for Derek and Julian – his new _friends. _Did he really, finally have_ friends_? – as latter hadn't known he _could_ play. Logan had been very close to feeling happy then, about to share something so personal with such friendly people, to see that they had a real, non-profit interest in him made him smile like he'd never done at home.

But then _he'd_ called and everything fell to ruin. His phone had been the first thing to go, breaking into five jagged pieces after colliding with the furthest wall. After that Logan just _stormed_: turning over his keyboard, ripping sheet music, tearing up his bed sheets, throwing things, throwing _Julian – _

It was only after a bloody-nosed Derek gave a punch to his senses that Logan became aware of anything and even then, he'd had to breathe hard for several minutes before the rage ebbed far enough away. Once he'd seen what he had done, Logan sank to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest and pressing his hands to his eyes. He had _never_ felt so… Ashamed? Embarrassed? Resigned? Afraid?

All of them and more ran through his system because, thanks to his lessons on how anger and abandonment worked in tandem, Logan was sure he knew what would happen next: he'd lose them, Derek and Julian. They'd scurry out the door and make a point of forever avoiding him, watching him with fearful eyes and cautious expressions when he'd pass them in the halls.

But that's not what happened next. That wasn't it at all.

"So that guy's an ass."  
>"No shit."<br>"Well, fuck him then."

It was the first time anyone said 'him' in place of 'you'.

And it was from that moment that Logan thought, '_I could learn to love these two_.'

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><p>'<em>Trio<em>' means three. It means sticking together, keeping each other in check, and protecting one another. It means endless teasing, unfair gang-ups, and laughter shared between only them. They work together as a single unit, as a uniform team. As best they can, they keep the other two sane and safe, healthy and happy. And no matter how hard they're thrown or how dangerous it gets, there won't come a time when they can't continue on, when they burn out and fall apart.

Because '_trio_' means three.

Because '_Trio_' means Derek, Logan, and Julian.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Cuz the Stuart Trio will forever find the strength to press on. All my best wishes to the three of them for Hell Night's outcome; may you all remain strong.<strong>


End file.
